The One Night Only Job
by Falcons-Tears
Summary: A mark manages to catch Sophie and Parker and he makes the team a choice how to get them back. Is the team willing to pay that price? Especially since the price involves a big sacrifice, even for a hitter of Eliot's caliber... SLASH, WARNINGS inside Part I of two or maybe three parts
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Okay, this totally wasn't planned, but once again the plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone (even though it's not even a very good plot bunny *glances around nervously*) so I wrote it down. And it's not a real story, it's going to be a two-shot or a three-shot, depends on how exactly I write the second chapter *smiles*

As I said, it's not the best story I've ever written, but maybe you will like it at least a little *smiles sheepishly*

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Comments would be most appreciated *puppy dog eyes*

And please keep in mind that English isn't my native language...

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**A/N II: (important... well at least for me..)** I mentioned in my other story "In the Darkness" that I'd like to get an account on archiveofourown so that I can post the more explicit stuff over there without violating the terms here on this side *smiles* And so I was wondering if one of you has an account there and would be willing to invite me so that I can get an account and could maybe explain to me how exactly that works *hopeful smile* If you are willing to help me, I'd be delighted if you'd contact me per PM. *smiles* So yeah, I'd really appreciate your help, but now enough of my ramblings and have fun reading the first part *smiles*

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**Disclaimer: **None of the Leverage characters belong to me and I just borrowed them for this little story... this story doesn't mean to offend anybody… this is just for fun… and not for money either...

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**Warnings:** Slash, mentioned dub-con and non-con (but really just mentioned, nothing that is even remotely explicit)

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**Summary: **A mark manages to catch Sophie and Parker and he makes the team a choice how to get them back. Is the team willing to pay that price? Especially since the price involves a big sacrifice, even for a hitter of Eliot's caliber... SLASH, WARNINGS inside (Part I of two or maybe three parts)

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**The One Night Only Job**

**Part I**

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"It's just one night, Mr. Ford. No more, no less in exchange for your grifter and your thief. Seems fair, don't you think?"

Nate Ford stared at the screen, his brain trying to make sense of what their newest mark had just told him. But he wasn't sure if he'd be able to make sense of it all in the next hours, no, days...

"It's not my decision to make, Mr. Miller, and besides, it'd be better not to underestimate me and my team. Other men have made that mistake and most of them are in jail now," he stated, trying to sound confident, more confident than he actually felt, especially since the beginning of this video call, which had started with a picture of Sophie and Parker, both tied tightly to chairs, guarded by armed men.

Samuel Miller, their mark, rich millionaire in his early sixties, dark hair slowly turning to gray and a man who had probably committed more crimes than Parker, Sophie and Hardison together, only snorted.

"Don't try anything funny, Ford, or your friends will pay the price. And besides, I still think it's a pretty generous offer on my part. You tried to ruin my business after all," he spat and the camera turned to Sophie and Parker again, who both had obviously listened to the conversation, judging by the blank look on Parker's and the horrified expression on Sophie's face. One of the man guarding the two raised his gun and pointed it straight at Sophie's head.

Nate tried not to show his panic at that move and straightened his shoulders.

"Again, Mr. Miller, it's not my decision to make," he said, his hands clenched into fists at his side.

Miller just chuckled.

"I still trust you to make the right decision, Mr. Ford. I expect your answer in an hour," the man said, his eyes looking past Nate and focusing on something, no someone, behind him and before Nate could say one more word, the screen faded to black and absolute silence filled the office.

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Nate's hands clenched even tighter and he slowly turned away from the screen. His eyes went to Hardison first. The young hacker stared at his keyboard while typing furiously to track down Miller and find out how he had been able to see through Sophie's and Parker's cover and how he had managed to hack them. Nathan knew he would have been able to type without having to look, but Hardison did watch what his fingers were doing, just so that he had a reason not to look at the third man in the room. The one who was now the sole object of Nate's attention.

Nate eyed Eliot carefully, wondering how to best go about this situation. He had never had been in one similar to this so for once he really was at a loss what to actually do. Nate's eyes widened a little when he saw how calm, almost disinterested the hitter looked.

"Eliot," Nate started, but stopped when Eliot held his hand up.

"It's not a big deal, Nate. As Miller said, it's just one night in exchange for Sophie's and Parker's life, so I'm game," Eliot said, casually leaning against the wall and only the other man's tense shoulders told Nate that this might be a bigger deal than Eliot let on. But then again, it could also be, because he wanted to rip Miller apart for hurting Sophie and Parker. The hitter was protective of them all and hated it when he wasn't able to do his job to protect them.

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Nate sighed and rubbed his temple for a second while searching for the words to say next.

"Eliot, you don't have to do this. We can figure out something else," he started, but he was once again stopped with a casual shrug of one shoulder.

"Not in an hour and not a thief and a grifter short, Nate," Eliot explained and even though Nate hated to admit it, Eliot was probably right. All the plans that had been running through his head after Miller had contacted them and told them that he had caught Sophie and Parker and had made his offer, had needed a grifter of Sophie's or a thief of Parker's caliber, or even both and of course a lot of time to prep it.

When he didn't reply to Eliot's words, the hitter gave a slight, humorless chuckle and pushed himself off the wall.

"Thought so," he murmured, before again a grin grazed his lips, and again it wasn't a happy one, no, it was one Nate had never seen before on the younger man and then Eliot continued: "And besides this is what I do, I take one for the team. So I can do this to get Sophie and Parker out of this bastard's hands."

His words were meant to ease the lines of worry on Nate's face, but they did quite the opposite, because Eliot was way too relaxed about it and that really made Nate wonder how much exactly Eliot did "take for the team" without them knowing it.

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"Except that it's not the usual "take one for the team"," Hardison piped up, breaking the silence but not the growing tension in the room. It was the first time the hacker had spoken since Miller had made his proposition. Well, it was more blackmail than an actual proposition, but still...

Nate actually still wondered how on Earth they had ended up in this position anyway. He wondered how Miller had managed to catch Sophie and Parker. The two weren't easily caught, but then again, he could wonder about that later when they had solved this whole mess.

Now other things were more important... much more important.

Nate focused on Eliot again. The hitter was now looking at Hardison, who returned the look with a concerned one, probably freaked out about what Eliot was willing to do.

"Relax, Hardison. I've been through much worse than what this is going to be. At least he did give me a choice," Eliot stated dryly and the last part of his words made Nate tense and his hands that had just relaxed a little, clenched into fists again and he was about to say something, when Eliot continued.

"Besides, I'm actually more concerned if Miller will keep his word and uphold his side of the deal," he explained, running a hand through his hair. Nate and Hardison just stared at Eliot. They hadn't even thought so far, because they were still too shocked about Miller's "offer". And that once again showed them why they were so much better together than they were apart.

Both Nate and Hardison had been too emotional to think so far ahead, no matter if it normally was Nate's specialty to think further ahead than their opponents. But he had to worry about too many things at once right now to think straight, especially this weird feeling that wasn't all fear and worry when he thought about what Eliot was about to do and which had settled in his stomach and Nate was afraid to analyze it further right now, because then he would be useless to them and he couldn't have that.

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Once again it was Hardison who helped Nate to focus on it.

"Great, another problem to solve, as if we don't have enough already," he murmured, once again typing away on his keyboard just to have something to focus on. Then he looked at Nate.

"And how do we make sure that Miller keeps his end of the deal?" he asked, hoping that Nathan had a solution, because Hardison seriously was at a loss what to do now and he was worried sick about Parker. Of course he was worried about Sophie too, but just a little more about Parker, not that he'd ever say that out loud. And he was also really worried about Eliot. The hitter had shown almost no emotion ever since Miller had contacted them and that couldn't be good, not with a man like Eliot...

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The hitter scratched the back of his head.

"We tell Miller that we agree to his terms, but I want to see Sophie and Parker released first," he explained, again showing no emotion and that was slowly really getting creepy.

Nate tilted his head to the side, still uneasy how readily Eliot had accepted what he had to do to get Sophie and Parker to safety. When this whole mess was over, Nate needed to have a serious conversation with Eliot about what risk he could take and what risk he couldn't take. And Nate also knew he needed to talk about this weird feeling that grew stronger with every passing second and maybe Eliot could help him sort it out.

He looked at the hitter again and said grimly: "And if he'll let you go after one night."

Eliot rolled his eyes.

"I'll take precautions, Nate," he explained a little exasperated. He was Eliot "fucking" Spencer after all and he had fought a lot more dangerous opponents than Samuel Miller.

Then he grinned a little, once again with that dangerous glint in his eyes.

"And if that fails, then I'll count on you to get me out," Eliot told them, showing that he had finally really accepted that they were a team... a family...

"I still don't think you should do this, Eliot," Nate tried again.

"It's not really a tough choice to make here, Nate. Parker and Sophie need us and if this is what gets them out unharmed and without any casualties then I'm game," he said and the tone of his voice told Nate and Hardison that the hitter had already made up his mind and when Eliot made up his mind then there was nothing they could do about it. The only thing they could do, was to have his back and to make sure that Miller paid once they were all back together.

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"Are you really sure?"

Nate just had to ask one more time, especially to show Eliot that they were as concerned about his well-being as they were about Parker's and Sophie's, because sometimes Eliot seemed to think that his needs weren't as important as the rest of the teams and that simply wasn't true.

Nate needed to make sure that Eliot knew he could back out of this if he really wanted. But of course Eliot didn't take the offer to back out. He just gave Nate a dark look and the mastermind ducked his head a little.

"As I said, I've survived much worse things than this is probably going to be," he explained and for a second there was a sad look in his eyes, which Nate would have almost missed, but then it was gone again.

"You two should now figure out how to best make sure that Sophie and Parker will be released and let me worry about my part of this plan," he explained and gave Nate another look that told him that he really needed to talk to the hitter about a few things.

The smile that made Eliot's lips twitch for a second was a little unexpected as was the almost humorous tone in his voice.

"And you better have a plan M in case plans A to L fail."

Nate and Hardison stared at Eliot and then Hardison let out a loud, annoyed breath.

"Hey, I die in plan M, so I'm against plan M," he piped up and Nate and Eliot couldn't help the slight chuckle escaping them, lessening the tension at least a little, what had probably been Eliot's plan all along.

"You of course mean a plan M without Hardison dying, right?" Nate asked, only teasing a little and Eliot gave a grin.

"Of course," he gave back dryly, before he continued: "And now get to planning. We'll see each other in an hour to tell Miller how this is going to work."

And before Hardison or Nate could say or do more, Eliot was out of the room, probably to take some precautions of his own and Nate wasn't sure if he really wanted to know what exactly those precautions were.

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Once they were sure Eliot was out of earshot – he had left his comm on the table – Hardison turned towards Nate, the tension that had been slightly eased returning full force.

"We're seriously letting him do that?" Hardison questioned, looking at him as if Nate could make things right.

But at first Nate didn't answer. He rubbed his face and all of sudden he looked tired and dropped down in the chair beside the one Hardison was sitting in. He looked at the younger man and sighed.

"As much as I hate to say it, but we don't have a choice here, Hardison."

"But..." Hardison started, but then he stopped and let Nate continue.

"All we can do is to make sure that Miller will let Sophie and Parker go or what Eliot has to do will have been in vain, and then we need to make sure that Eliot will be allowed to leave after he has fulfilled his part of the deal," he explained and he really didn't look happy about it.

"But Nate, what Miller wants to do... it's..." Hardison trailed off once again and wasn't even able to put into words what Miller had proposed to them earlier.

Nate just looked at him with sad eyes.

"I know, Hardison, I know," he murmured, letting his desperation show for a second by burying his head in his hands for a moment. Then he composed himself and looked up.

"And now let's make a plan M."

His words helped them to regain some normalcy and finally come up with a plan that they would just maybe be able to pull off without falling completely apart.

But still, Nate dreaded the moment when Eliot would have to willingly surrender to whatever Miller had in mind. The mastermind had resigned himself to just be there and help with a probable fallout...

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The hour deadline was over way too fast and they found themselves face to face with Miller again.

"So, what is your answer?" their mark questioned, still looking smug since he had the upper hand here. Nate took a deep breath and looked at Eliot, who stood beside him, tall and unmoving, already steeled for what was to come. But it was still hard for Nate to hear Eliot saying what he had to say.

"I accept your offer," the hitter said, his voice void of all emotion.

"Good, good," Miller said, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"I expect you at my mansion in two hours. Wear the suit you wore when we first met, it brought out your eyes," Miller told Eliot and for the first time Nate saw an emotion from Eliot. The hitter clenched his fists, but he didn't say a word, only his eyes told that he was ready to snap Miller's neck and if it hadn't been for Sophie's and Parker's safety then he probably would have...

"We'll be there," Nate hissed and then he signaled Hardison to cut the line, then Hardison looked at Nate, who shrugged and both looked at Eliot, who, for the first time, didn't look at them and muttered: "It's only one night..."

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**End of Part I**

So, yeah, here it is, the first of two or three parts *smiles*. I hope you enjoyed reading it at least a little and reviews would be most appreciated *smiles sheepishly*

And if you haven't done so, please read the **A/N II**

Thanks for reading *smiles*


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hey there *waves* Here comes an update for this story. It was a bit surprising that this was what my bunnies wanted to continue, especially after the last week I have had...

Well it was either this or a new fic with Eliot having to pose as a stripper for a con (damn my friend forcing me to watch Magic Mike and giving me a new plot bunny), so I thought this was the better option, since I'm sure you really don't want to read another new one of my crazy stories *ducks and hides* and once again this story got away with me and will probably be a little longer than three chapters *sighs*

I just hope you will like the new chapter and comments would of course be most appreciated *smiles*

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Thank you to **SivanShemesh, Jesco123, fro-chan, CherokeeFireBird, Kim, krazylicious, Liv Scully, crazy4tv and LadyGaidin** for all your kind reviews for the last chapter *hugs*

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**Warnings: **Slash, mentioned dub-con and non-con (but really just mentioned, nothing that is even remotely explicit)

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**Disclaimer:** None of the Leverage characters belong to me and I just borrowed them for this little story... this story doesn't mean to offend anybody… this is just for fun… and not for money either...

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**Chapter 2**

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Nate really didn't like this whole thing and he had the feeling that things would get a lot worse before they got better, but honestly, there was not much he could do about it. And he hated to not be in control, especially when that meant that one of his team had to pay the price. He glanced at Eliot and sighed quietly. He really didn't want the Hitter to do this, but he needed to get Sophie and Parker out of this safely, even if it meant sacrificing Eliot. Well no, he wasn't sacrificing the other man. Eliot was doing this of his own free will and there was nothing Nate could do to talk him out of it.

Nathan just hoped that Eliot really could deal with whatever exactly Samuel Miller wanted from the Hitter. The mastermind once again glanced at Eliot, who was leaning almost casually against the car they had driven here, arms crossed in front of his chest. He hadn't said a word ever since they'd climbed into the car to drive to their meeting and Nate and even Hardison had left him alone, because there was nothing much they could say. And they also knew that the man didn't need their pity and he needed the silence to steel himself against what was most likely going to happen.

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The three members of team Leverage were standing in front of Miller's huge mansion and were waiting for the man himself to arrive and greet them, not that they were in any hurry to meet him, no matter how much they wanted to put this whole ordeal behind them, which probably wouldn't be too easy.

Nate noticed that Eliot had actually dressed into the suit jacket and the shirt Miller had ordered him to wear, but he had kept on his jeans, not, Nate added mentally, that said jeans spoiled how good Eliot looked, quite the contrary, they only added to the appeal, because they were very fitting in all the right places. Nate wasn't sure why Eliot had decided to wear that particular outfit. The Hitter seemed to have noticed that Nate was looking at him and he seemed to read the other man's thoughts, because he simply shrugged.

"It's going to keep Miller distracted. No use getting him riled up before Parker and Sophie are outta there," he explained almost too casually and Nate found himself agreeing with Eliot. Even he had been distracted numerous times when Eliot had worn those jeans, no matter what the Hitter had been doing and that was a secret he'd probably take to his grave, especially when he once again thought what was going to happen soon. And Nate mentally slapped himself for having these inappropriate thoughts in a moment like this and he was thankful that Eliot wasn't looking at him anymore, because he feared he might have given some things away.

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Nate couldn't ponder their situation anymore, however, because their host for the evening chose that exact moment to arrive.

"Well, at least you're on time."

Miller was all smiles and was talking as if they were good friends that had been invited over for a nice dinner. But that was nothing more than show, because his eyes freely roamed over Eliot's body, lingering in certain places and it was so obvious that even Hardison and Nate felt dirty and uncomfortable. Eliot was the only one who wasn't fazed even a little, or at least it looked like he wasn't, but Nate could see the tenseness of his shoulders and the tight set of his jaw.

"Where are Sophie and Parker?" he questioned, his voice as even as possible given the situation.

Miller pursed his lips a little.

"Straight to business I see," he said and waved his hand and suddenly Nate and Hardison were surrounded by armed men, wherever they had come from.

"Why don't we all go inside and discuss this matter further? It's way more comfortable than out here in the open."

Eliot growled, clearly not happy with that, but he knew, as did Hardison and Nate, that they didn't have much of a choice to follow Miller's orders, no matter how polite they were voiced. Also, if they wanted to get out of this alive, they needed Miller to feel secure and as if he had the upper hand, which unfortunately he had right now. If Miller felt at ease then maybe he would get cocky and they could exploit that weakness.

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"Lead the way", Nate told , trying to sound nonchalant, causing Miller to chuckle.

"Just a second, Mr. Ford," he said and then he gestured to three of his men. Two of them walked to Hardison and Nate and cuffed their hands behind their backs. The third man handed a set of cuffs to Miller. And with them in hand, their mark approached Eliot, who stood unmoving, eying him with distrust. Miller held his eyes and then he told him, voice dangerously low: "If you resist, your friends will pay the price."

Eliot simply nodded grimly and put his hands behind his back, expecting the other man to cuff them too, but Miller shook his head.

"Hands in front of you," he instructed.

Eliot raised an eyebrow, but then he did as instructed and Miller fastened the leather cuffs tightly around both wrists, a lot tighter than needed and Eliot had to bite back a wince when they cut into his flesh. From the short chain connecting the two wrist cuffs together dangled a longer chain with another set of cuffs, which Miller now fastened tightly around Eliot's ankles, again making the Hitter wince a little, because they were too tight. The chain that connected the two sets of cuffs was so short that Eliot couldn't raise his arms anymore and he even had to hunch over a little. The even shorter chain that connected the ankle cuffs made it almost impossible for Eliot to walk normally, let alone fight properly. And the Hitter was pretty sure that this was exactly the plan. Miller had obviously done his homework and he had done it well, almost too well for him working on it alone...

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And Eliot would probably have coped with the restraints a lot better if Miller hadn't added a leash to the mix and clipped it to the wrist cuffs. It was humiliating, because it made him feel like a caged animal and Eliot hated feeling caged more than anything and flashbacks of times spent in various prison camps came back suddenly and only his training and the fear for his team's safety helped him to stay calm and not lash out violently.

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"Is that really necessary?" Nate questioned angrily. He really hated to watch Eliot just endure all of this for them. Well, considering what was probably going to happen to Eliot tonight, it didn't seem like a big deal, but still, it rubbed Nate the wrong way.

Miller merely gave him a look.

"You know better than I do that it is necessary, because we both know what Mr. Spencer is capable of, so the restraints are a safety measure."

Nate snorted and pointedly looked at the leash in Miller's hands. The man just chuckled.

"Oh that... that is just because I can and because it's a good look on him," Miller explained and for the first time since this whole mess had started, Eliot showed some emotions. He growled in his throat, low and dangerous and Nate knew that Miller would already be dead if Eliot didn't fear for Hardison's, Parker's, Sophie's and Nate's lives. And Miller was probably aware of that fact too, because he took a step away from the Hitter, out of Eliot's immediate reach, smile still in place.

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"So, let's go inside," the mark told them with obvious glee and anticipation.

He then waved at his men again. And one each grabbed an elbow of Nate and of Hardison to get them walking. Eliot avoided looking at his teammates when they started walking and Nate hated that. He would have loved to assure Eliot that this would all work out, no matter how empty of an assurance that might be. But he wanted the Hitter to know that nothing would change between them, that he wouldn't be treated differently after tonight.

He didn't get the chance, however, because Eliot still had his eyes trained away from them and it didn't look like he planned to change that soon. And so they silently walked towards the mansion, anxiousness rising within Nate. He really needed to see Parker and Sophie now and judging by Hardison's subdued demeanor and tense shoulders, he felt the same way. The Hacker hadn't said a word since he had been handcuffed and his eyes darted to Eliot nervously, but he didn't dare to let them linger for too long. And Nathan could really understand that feeling. Hardison was still a young man and had sort of lived a sheltered life before he had joined team Leverage and he probably had a hard time coping with this, maybe even harder than Eliot... and that was a little disturbing in its own right.

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They finally entered the house and on any other day, the art-fan Nathan Ford would have marveled at all the beautiful paintings decorating the walls in the hallway, but today his eyes were focused on Eliot's back, since he was walking behind the Hitter. And he could see that Eliot was embarrassed about his treatment, but he tried his hardest not to show it.

The Hitter was still staring at the ground in front of him, his hair shielding his face, but Nate saw how tense Eliot's shoulders were and Nate shuddered a little, because he knew what exactly Eliot could do when he was angry or cornered and once again he was glad that Eliot was on their side, because after this was over and they were all out save, Eliot would have his revenge. And it would be bloody and this time Nathan wasn't sure if he'd stop him like he'd done with Moreau.

Again Nate didn't have much time to contemplate this further, because suddenly they entered a spacious living room and his eyes immediately snapped towards Sophie and Parker.

The two women were sat on a white leather sofa, Sophie's hands cuffed and Parker's tied with a thick kind of rope and also secured with duct tape, probably so that there wasn't the slightest chance that the thief might be able to pick the lock. And again, Nate realized just how prepared Miller was for them.

_/Too prepared/ _he mused and there was this gnawing feeling that something else they hadn't really anticipated was in play here.

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"Nate!"

Sophie's voice, which shook just a little, interrupted Nate's thoughts and he looked at the grifter. She was pale and even though she had called his name, her eyes were focused on Eliot and for a second Nate thought that he had seen a tear in her eyes. Parker just sat there, staring straight at Hardison as if to anchor herself. And Nathan desperately wanted to assure the two women that this would be okay.

But before he could open his mouth, it was Eliot, who spoke. He finally looked up and stood as proud and tall as the chains holding him allowed and he even had a small smile on his face, directed at Sophie and Parker, who finally looked at him.

"Don't worry, I can handle this," was all he said, but his voice was so full of reassurance, that even Nate believed him for a moment, until he saw the way the Hitter's hands clenched into fists, nails digging into the skin.

"Eliot," he started quietly, but he didn't get further, because Miller once again made himself known.

"That's all really touching, but I have better things to do right now than listen to this," he explained, nodding to his men, who grabbed Hardison and Nate and forced them on the second couch in the room and all four members of team Leverage now had a weapon pointed directly at them.

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Eliot grew rigid and yanked on his chains, because he knew what that meant.

"That wasn't the deal, Miller," he growled. "You said that you'd let them go."

Miller just shrugged.

"I lied," he simply said and his face was hard when he added: "They'll stay here for my own safety. Once we're done doing business you can all go. And you better come with me now, because there are ways to hurt them without actually breaking our deal."

Eliot simply stared at the man, ignoring the protests from Sophie, Nate, Parker and Hardison and after a few tense moments, he nodded slowly.

"Alright, lead the way," he said, suddenly calm and collected again, which was a sign that he was holding in a lot of rage and once again Nate was glad that he wasn't the one on the receiving end of that rage. But he really hated it when Eliot and Miller left the room, but there was nothing he could do about it, especially not with the rest of the team in danger and also with a gun pointed straight at his head. So he just sat there, ignoring the pleading looks from his team that wanted him to make things right, to assure them that everything would be alright.

Right now he just couldn't do it, because he knew things wouldn't be alright, at least not for a while after this.

_/We'll get you through this, Eliot... I'll get you through this/_ was the only thought running through his head while he tried to get comfortable on the couch, because he knew it was going to be an agonizingly long wait.

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Once the doors to the living room had closed behind Eliot, Miller and two of his guards and they were a few steps down the hallway, Eliot finally spoke again through gritted teeth: "You do know that I could easily snap your neck once we're alone, don't you?"

He still followed Miller down the long hallway up a flight of stairs to what was supposedly the master bedroom, because Eliot had long ago figure out that this was exactly where they were going, no matter if it had never been said explicitly.

Miller turned his head and yanked on the leash, intent on making Eliot stumble a little to show who was in control here, but the Hitter didn't even bat an eyelash and held his footing easily, having been prepared for it the second he had felt the slack in the leash tighten. Miller only smiled at him then.

"Oh, I know all about you, Mr. Spencer, or Eliot, because I never call people I take into my bed by their last name," he stated and Eliot found himself flinching at those words, because finally the elephant was really in the room once it had been said out loud and it wasn't as easy to ignore anymore.

Miller grinned and then he continued: "Once I was made aware of who you are, I called a few more people and did my homework. So yeah, I'm fully aware what you can do, that's why the rest of your team stays here until you've fulfilled your part of our little deal," he explained and Eliot raised an eyebrow, especially when he thought about the wording Miller had used. He now really knew that there was something else going on that he hadn't figured out yet, but would probably find out sooner than he wanted.

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"I guess we have a little problem here, I won't fulfill it until I've seen my team released safely and unhurt, because there is no reason for me to trust you that you will let us all leave once we're done," Eliot stated, the team's security the first thing on his mind and also the thing that helped him to stay calm. The Hitter knew that he was walking on thin ice and that essentially Miller held all the cards, but he'd try his damnest to keep them all safe.

Miller simply tilted his head.

"You do realize that I could simply kill all of them right now if you don't cooperate," he stated and unfortunately he was right, but Eliot refused to be intimidated.

"And you know that you'd be dead within seconds if you did.

Eliot and Miller stared at each other, both men not ready to back down. And both men were very aware of how dangerous their opponent was and that they had kind of a dead-end-situation here.

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Eliot would kill and die for his team and Miller of course knew that and was very aware of the fact that that made the Hitter even more dangerous. And Eliot knew that, yes, he could kill Miller and there was nothing the other man would be able to do about it, but that wouldn't bring him back the team if Miller made good on his threat. So he sighed and made another offer.

"Listen, we both know what the other can do, so I'm gonna make you an offer. You let them, except one, go so I see that I can trust you and you still have leverage over me," he started and Miller looked at least a little interested.

"And what do I get in return of my show of good will?" he asked intrigued and Eliot knew that he'd at least get three of them released if he played his cards right. So he took a small step closer to Miller and leaned even closer so that he could whisper into the other man's ear, his voice a low whisper: "In return I'll make this night the best of your life, because I will show you what I can do instead of just lying there and taking it... and believe me, that will be worth-your-while."

When he draw back, he made sure that his breath ghosted over Miller's ear and cheek and when the other man shuddered, he couldn't help a small grin. Sure, Eliot still didn't want to do this, but it had to be done, so he had accepted it as a necessary sacrifice.

He then took a step back and looked at Miller, his voice back to normal levels now: "And once our deal is done, Nate can leave with me," he suggested, finally wanting to get this over with.

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Miller looked at Eliot hungrily and, to Eliot's small surprise, he finally nodded and then told one of his men: "Go down there and release the two women and the Hacker, let them have their ear buds back, so that Eliot can hear them being released."

The man nodded and left and Miller fished another earbud out of his pocket, probably confiscated from Sophie or Parker, because Nate, Hardison and Eliot hadn't worn one when they got here. Eliot had insisted on that, because he didn't want them to listen to what was going to happen.

He put the earbud in Eliot's ear, using the close contact to grope the Hitter, but Eliot tried to ignore it, concentrating on the sounds coming through the little transmitter in his ear. At first he only heard shuffling and protesting voices, but after a few minutes, Sophie's shaking voice came through: "Eliot, Parker, Hardison and I are off Miller's property and heading back to the headquarters now and we're not being tailed. Nate is still with them, but he's okay." There was a short pause and then Sophie continued: "But Eliot, you don't have to do this, we'll get you out, we got you into this mess after all..."

Eliot's heart clenched a little at the guilt in Sophie's voice and his face softened a little.

"Soph, as I said, don't worry about me. I can take the punishment," he reminded her of a talk they had had a few years back when they'd taken down Jed Rucker.

"I'll see ya tomorrow, Soph," he finished and then motioned for Miller to take the earbud out, because if he listened to Sophie's broken and guilty voice some more, he knew he wouldn't make it through this night...

.

Miller immediately did so and then crushed the earbud under his feet and he put one of his hands on the handle of the door in front of them.

"Now that this is done, we can get to the more pleasurable things, Eliot. And I think I've kept my other guest waiting long enough."

Eliot's eyebrow shot up and he gave Miller a dirty, but questioning look, that made the other man chuckle.

"Oh, I probably forgot to mention that I'm not alone, Eliot. There is an old friend, who really wants to see you again to get reacquainted," Miller said with a wide grin while he opened the door to what was a huge master bedroom and Eliot stood rooted to the spot, paling a little when he saw the tall, dark haired man that sat on a comfortable looking armchair, looking at him with a smug smile and a glass of champagne in his hand.

"Hello Eliot, I guess you didn't expect me to see," the man said, his voice smooth and deep and it somehow helped Eliot to focus and he spat: "Shouldn't you be rotting in prison, Damien?"

.

to be continued...

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So, did you like it? Hated it?

Maybe I should have gone with the stripper!Eliot plot bunny *ducks and hides*

Comments would be most appreciated none the less...


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